The Complex NBA Power Rankings (Week 16)

Record: 7 - 47
Last Week's Rank: 30
Last Week's Results: L @ Toronto 87-92, (Tue); L @ Atlanta 93-120, (Wed); L @ Milwaukee 90-95, (Fri); L vs. Atlanta 96-116, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Washington, Monday (4/9); @ Cleveland, Tuesday (4/10); vs. Detroit, Thursday (4/12); @ Miami, Friday (4/13); vs. Boston, Sunday (4/15)
With the Bobcats now sitting 40 games under .500, coach Paul Silas needs to try anything and everything to get the most out of the players that are currently on the roster. In his latest move, Silas has inserted Kemba Walker into the starting lineup. With Charlotte lacking a star player that they can rely upon night in and night out, why not see what your 2011 first-round pick can offer, right? Hell, why don't they just pick up some young'ns from around the way and see what they can do. There's nowhere to go but up at this point. —Jose Martinez

Record: 12 - 44
Last Week's Rank: 29
Last Week's Results: L vs. Milwaukee 98-112, (Mon); L vs. Indiana 96-109, (Wed); L @ Detroit 94-99, (Thu); L @ New Jersey 98-110, (Fri)
This Week: @ Charlotte, Monday (4/9); vs. Orlando, Tuesday (4/10); @ New York, Friday (4/13); vs. Cleveland, Saturday (4/14)
Last week, I mentioned that while my expectations for the Wizards were on the high side, there was definite room for huge letdown. With no wins recorded in their four match-ups this week, I'm not too surprised to see this team perform the way they have been all season. You know, racking up losses at an alarming rate. Charlotte and Cleveland are on the horizon, but that doesn't necessarily translate to victories. As we have seen time and time before, this team is unpredictable...but not in the good way. —Jose Martinez

Record: 15 - 41
Last Week's Rank: 28
Last Week's Results: W vs. Denver 94-92, (Wed); L @ San Antonio 103-128, (Fri); W vs. Minnesota 99-90, (Sat)
This Week: vs. LA Lakers, Monday (4/9); vs. Sacramento, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Utah, Friday (4/13); vs. Memphis, Sunday (4/15)
Eric Gordon's back, so there's that. With a healthy backcourt and Chris Kaman playing well, the Hornets are capable of stinging a few playoff hopefuls in their remaining ten games. Friday's game against Utah could prove to be the unraveling of the Jazz season as the pressure on teams looking to grab a final seed mounts. Jarrett Jack's missed the last few games with a minor ankle injury, but comes back this week to complete what's a pretty damn good set of guards. — Sean Evans

Record: 19 - 38
Last Week's Rank: 27
Last Week's Results: L @ LA Lakers 87-91, (Tue); L @ Portland 88-101, (Wed); W vs. Washington 110-98, (Fri); W vs. Cleveland 122-117, (Sun)
This Week: @ Dallas, Tuesday (4/10); @ New Orleans, Wednesday (4/11); @ Oklahoma City, Friday (4/13); vs. Portland, Sunday (4/15)
Talk tough and do tough things? DeMarcus Cousins knows all about the first part of that phrase but nothing about the latter. Cousins called Blake Griffin an actor after the two got physical in their matchup on Thursday. Now maybe it's the fact that DeMarcus is playing on a team that's currently 15 games behind the Clippers. Maybe it's because he's not getting the same kind of endorsement cake Griffin is (though DeMarcus is putting up similar stats). Is it because L.A.'s groupies >>> Sac-Town's jumpoffs? There's a million reasons why Cousins could be frustrated but he should really unleash that rage on his teammates in the locker room. His squad is an embarrassment and we're running out of adjectives to describe their poor play. #only3moreweeks —Ralph Warner

Record: 21 - 35
Last Week's Rank: 23
Last Week's Results: W vs. Minnesota 116-108, (Mon); L vs. Phoenix 100-109, (Tue); L vs. LA Clippers 85-93, (Thu); L @ LA Clippers 94-109, (Sat); L vs. Houston 104-87, (Sun)
This Week: @ Orlando, Monday (4/9); @ Charlotte, Thursday (4/12); vs. Milwaukee, Friday (4/13); vs. Chicago, Sunday (4/15)
Ten more games, Detroit fans. Ten more games until the season is over. That's really all that we can say at this point. For the sake of your team's future—and your team's draft position—let's hope they don't win too many of them. —Chris Yuscavage

Record: 21 - 37
Last Week's Rank: 25
Last Week's Results: W vs. Orlando 102-95, (Tue); W vs. Washington 99-94, (Thu); L @ Atlanta 06-101, (Fri); L @ Miami 98-79, (Sun)
This Week: vs. Philadelphia, Tuesday (4/10); @ Philadelphia, Friday (4/13); vs. Boston, Saturday (4/14)
The Nets have eight more games left until they're officially the Brooklyn Nets. This season has been a disaster to say the least. Brook Lopez will be shut down for the rest of the season. The only hope they have is getting into the top 3 in the draft lottery. Which means their fans (however many of them there are) can't even celebrate the club's two-game winning streak. —Angel Diaz

Record: 20 - 37
Last Week's Rank: 24
Last Week's Results: W vs. Charlotte 92-87, (Tue); W @ Philadelphia 99-78, (Wed); L vs. Cleveland 80-84, (Fri); L @ Oklahoma City 91-75, (Sun)
This Week: @ Indiana, Monday (4/9); vs. Philadelphia, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Boston, Friday (4/13); @ Atlanta, Sunday (4/15)
The Raptors have been struggling to hold leads all season. They've also been the team other squads have beat up on to end losing streaks. First the Cavs ended their nine-game losing streak on Friday and OKC ended a three-game losing streak yesterday. Expect the bomb squad to get a lot of minutes during these next couple weeks. —Angel Diaz

Record: 18 - 36
Last Week's Rank: 26
Last Week's Results: L vs. San Antonio 90-125, (Tue); L @ Milwaukee 98-107, (Wed); W @ Toronto 84-80, (Fri); L @ New Jersey 122-117, (Sun)
This Week: vs. Charlotte, Tuesday (4/10); vs. Indiana, Wednesday (4/11); @ Indiana, Friday (4/13); @ Washington, Saturday (4/14); vs. Orlando, Sunday (4/15)
C'mon, Cavs. Don't let us down now! After putting up a fight for much of the season, one of the team's lone veterans Antawn Jamison has noticed that it seems like the team is taking steps backwards at the end of the year. "It's supposed to hurt when you lose," he said early in the week after the Spurs loss. "To hear guys in our locker room still talking and laughing after games, it's disappointing…We've taken dramatic steps backwards." Now, it's clear the Cavs aren't going anywhere this year. But in order to build on this season moving forward, they need to finish strong. You guys got it in you? —Chris Yuscavage

Record: 22 - 33
Last Week's Rank: 22
Last Week's Results: L @ Memphis 94-98, (Tue); W @ Minnesota 97-94, (Wed); L @ Utah 98-104, (Fri); W vs. Denver 112-97, (Sat)
This Week: @ Denver, Monday (4/9); @ Portland, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Dallas, Thursday (4/12); @ LA Clippers, Saturday (4/14)
Going .500 this past week isn't bad at all considering every team they played still has a shot at the playoffs (it's a long shot for the T-Wolves but still). That being said, it's honestly time for the Warriors to start thinking about next season and beyond. With this year's deep Draft class they should be able to make improvements at any needed positions (that's about every position on this team). Plus, they'll have to decide whether they'll trade injury-prone Steph Curry or hold onto the young guard. Whatever moves they make, they're bound to get a better response from fans than this. —Ralph Warner

Record: 27 - 30
Last Week's Rank: 21
Last Week's Results: L vs. Utah 97-102, (Mon); W vs. New Jersey 101-88, (Wed); W @ Dallas 99-97, (Fri); L @ Milwaukee 94-116, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Houston, Monday (4/9); vs. Golden State, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Dallas, Friday (4/13); @ Sacramento, Sunday (4/15)
With the playoffs a distant dream, all the Portland Trail Blazers have left to play for is pride. And they earned a little last week, following an easy win over the Nets with a two-point overtime victory over the defending champs in Dallas (a game in which Raymond Felton scored 30 points and was a +20, have mercy).Meanwhile, Joel Pryzbilla continues to post Camby-esque scoring numbers as the de facto starting center (two points versus Dallas, four against Milwaukee), so at least that's been a consistent spot. —Russ Bengtson

Record: 25 - 32
Last Week's Rank: 20
Last Week's Results: L @ Sacramento 108-116, (Mon); L vs. Golden State 94-97, (Wed); L @ New Orleans 90-99, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Phoenix, Monday (4/9); @ Denver, Wednesday (4/11); vs. LA Clippers, Thursday (4/12); vs. Oklahoma City, Saturday (4/14)
That's gonna about do it for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Three games and three losses — to Sacramento, Golden State and New Orleans, no less — and the Wolves are seven games under .500 and sinking fast. Even Kevin Love seems to be slowing, having posted (gasp) two single-digit rebounding games. And while the "Love For MVP" splash page is a nice little tribute as you head to the Timberwolves website, that's about as likely as the Wolves making the playoffs. —Russ Bengtson

Record: 28 - 28
Last Week's Rank: 19
Last Week's Results: W @ Washington 112-98, (Mon); W vs. Cleveland 107-98, (Wed); W vs. Charlotte 95-90, (Fri); W vs. Portland 116-94, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Oklahoma City, Monday (4/9); vs New York, Wednesday (4/11); @ Detroit, Friday (4/13); vs. Indiana, Saturday (4/14)
To quote the great "urban philosopher" (as our good buddy Jay Bilas would say) Young Jeezy: "Win...win, win...win, win!" That's all the Bucks have been doing lately. And they're going to need to keep doing it. Although they reeled off four straight last week, they're still a game out of the playoff race and need to continue piling up the Ws to have a chance. At this point in the year, it's really as simple as that. Just keep finding ways to win and you'll be in, guys. —Chris Yuscavage

Record: 29 - 27
Last Week's Rank: 18
Last Week's Results: W @ Sacramento 109-100, (Tue); W @ Utah 107-105, (Wed); L @ Denver 99-105, (Fri); W vs. LA Lakers 125-105, (Sat)
This Week: @ Minnesota, Monday (4/9); @ Memphis, Wednesday (4/11); @ Houston, Friday (4/13); @ San Antonio, Saturday (4/14)
The Suns are only a game out of the 8th seed in the West? Uh-huh. Those oldheads in Arizona are turning it up during crunch time. After going 3-1 this past week, the Suns have 10 games left to make that final push for the playoffs. Every game is important at this point but matchups against Utah (currently 8th in the West) and Houston (currently 6th in the West and two games ahead fo the Suns) will be particularly crucial in the coming weeks. With Grant Hill not due to return until the final week of the season, Steve Nash, Marcin Gortat, and Jared Dudley will have to rise to the occasion. #viagrasteez —Ralph Warner

Record: 30 - 26
Last Week's Rank: 14
Last Week's Results: L @ New Orleans 92-94, (Wed); W vs. Phoenix 105-99, (Fri); L @ Golden State 97-112, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Golden State, Monday (4/9); vs. Minnesota, Wednesday (4/11); @ LA Lakers, Friday (4/13); vs. Houston, Sunday (4/15)
The Nuggets continue to stumble their way to the 8th seed in the West and what promises to be a rather brutal matchup with either the Spurs or the Thunder, as they went 1-2 last week and have played .500 over their last 10 games. Losing road games at New Orleans and at Golden State do not bode well for a postseason run of any sort as they continue to struggle without Danilo Gallinari. —Russ Bengtson

Record: 29 - 28
Last Week's Rank: 17
Last Week's Results: W @ Portland 102-97, (Mon); L vs. Phoenix 105-107, (Wed); W vs. Golden State 104-98, (Fri); L @ San Antonio 114-104, (Sun)
This Week: vs. San Antonio, Monday (4/9); @ Houston, Wednesday (4/11); @ New Orleans, Friday (4/13); @ Memphis, Saturday (4/14)
Give the Jazz this — they're fighting the good fight down the stretch. Even Jerry Sloan would have to be proud of these guys. It doesn't hurt that Devin Harris is finally healthy, and dropped 28 (to go with Al Jefferson's 30) on the Warriors. Sure, they lost by 10 to the Spurs, but everyone's been losing by 10 to the Spurs. Nothing to be ashamed of. —Russ Bengtson

Record: 31 - 25
Last Week's Rank: 15
Last Week's Results: W @ Chicago 99-93, (Mon); W @ LA Lakers 112-107, (Fri); W @ Sacramento 104-87, (Sun)
This Week: @ Portland, Monday (4/9); vs. Utah, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Phoenix, Friday (4/13); @ Denver, Sunday (4/15)
The Rockets have been on a win-one-lose-one run for about three weeks now, not good if you're an eight seed. While most teams in the West are getting over their compressed season injuries and rounding into playoff form (the Spurs and Grizzlies come to mind), the Rockets are losing players, close games, and with less than a month to go, are virtually deadlocked alongside Denver and Utah with only two postseason spots available. It's officially time to declare must-win games and Houston has a pair this week on the road against the Kings and Lakers. —Sean Evans

Record: 29 - 27
Last Week's Rank: 16
Last Week's Results: L @ Indiana 104-112, (Tue); W @ Orlando 96-80, (Thu); W vs. Chicago 99-100, (Sun)
This Week: @ Chicago, Tuesday (4/10); @ Milwaukee, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Washington, Friday (4/13); @ Miami, Sunday (4/15)
New York is 11-3 since Mike Woodson has taken over and the bulk of that stretch has been without Amar'e and Lin. Carmelo is finally playing like the guy the Knicks traded a starting five for. He has been carrying the Knicks to gutty victories on offense, while Tyson Chandler and rookie Iman Shumpert have been leading the charge defensively. Last night's game vs. the Bulls was one of the best games of the season and they get to do it all over again on Tuesday. —Angel Diaz

Record: 31 - 26
Last Week's Rank: 12
Last Week's Results: L vs. LA Clippers 75-94, (Mon); W vs. Memphis 95-85, (Wed); L vs. Portland 97-99, (Fri); L @ Memphis 89-94, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Sacramento, Tuesday (4/10); @ Golden State, Thursday (4/12); @ Portland, Friday (4/13); @ LA Lakers, Sunday (4/15)
The Mavs have sure picked an interesting time to hit rock bottom. Their season has been bipolar with long stretches of poor play followed by flashes of brilliance. But after falling behind by 20 points in the first quarter Saturday's loss to Memphis, the Mavs looked like a team in need of some soul searching. Headed into a tough four game road trip, Tuesday's game against Sacramento is a must-win, a sad storyline for the defending champs who'll have to beat the league's bottom feeding teams just to stay alive. —Sean Evans

Record: 29 - 27
Last Week's Rank: 13
Last Week's Results: L @ Miami 93-99, (Tue); L vs. Toronto 78-99, (Wed); L vs. Orlando 82-88, (Sat); L @ Boston 103-79, Sunday (4/8)
This Week: @ New Jersey, Tuesday (4/10); @ Toronto, Wednesday (4/11); vs. New Jersey, Friday (4/13)
This team is in a freefall at the exact wrong time. Losers of four in a row, the former Atlantic Division leaders are now the eight seed in the East. Everybody except for Philly fans saw this coming. A young team without a star usually doesn't cut it in this league. Just goes to show that Doug Collins has done a hell of a job. Don't count them out just yet, though. They play only three playoff teams (Pacers twice and Orlando) to close out the season. —Angel Diaz

Record: 32 - 23
Last Week's Rank: 10
Last Week's Results: W @ Oklahoma City 94-85, (Mon); W vs. Golden State 98-94, (Tue); L @ Dallas 85-95, (Wed); W @ Miami 97-82, (Fri); W vs. Dallas 94-89, (Sat)
This Week: vs. LA Clippers, Monday (4/9); vs. Phoenix, Wednesday (4/11); @ San Antonio, Thursday (4/12); vs. Utah, Saturday (4/14); @ New Orleans, Sunday (4/15)
The most brutal home stretch in the NBA starts this week for the Grizzlies who'll play five games in the next seven nights. And if playing nearly every night weren't bad enough, Memphis travels to Oklahoma City, hosts Miami, and has a pair of games against a Dallas team in survivor mode. Good luck with that. We've long championed the Grizzlies cause, calling them a “dark horse” contender all season; this week we'll find out how elite this team is. —Sean Evans

Record: 33 - 23
Last Week's Rank: 6
Last Week's Results: L @ Detroit 95-102, (Tue); L vs. New York 80-96, (Thu); W @ Philadelphia 88-82, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Detroit, Monday (4/9); @ Washington, Tuesday (4/10); vs. Atlanta, Friday (4/13); @ Cleveland, Sunday (4/15)
After what seemed like forever, the Magic were able to reverse their fortunes and get a win after losing five straight. So, things are looking up for the organization now, right? Eh, not so much. Eventually, the whole SVG-D12 thing will boil over. Here's to hoping that these two guys can keep it cool and kosher until the end of the season. Like, after getting embarrassed in the first round and sparking the controversy all over again. —Jose Martinez

Record: 34 - 23
Last Week's Rank: 11
Last Week's Results: W vs. Charlotte 120-103, (Wed); W vs. Detroit 101-96, (Fri); W @ Charlotte 116-96, (Sat)
This Week: @ Boston, Wednesday (4/11); @ Orlando, Friday (4/13); vs. Toronto, Sunday (4/15)
Three easy matchups, three convincing victories. But you had to see that coming since the Hawks played the Bobcats twice and Detroit once. However, this week, they will be tested with two road games at Boston and Orlando, respectively. As the current No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, Atlanta could potentially draw one of these two clubs in the first round. Do they stand a chance? Guess we'll find out this week. —Jose Martinez

Record: 34 - 22
Last Week's Rank: 9
Last Week's Results: W vs. New York 112-104, (Tue); W @ Washington 109-96, (Wed); W vs. Oklahoma City 103-98, (Fri); L vs. Boston 72-86, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Toronto, Monday (4/9); @ Cleveland, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Cleveland, Friday (4/13); @ Milwaukee, Saturday (4/14)
The Pacers look like they're peaking at the right time. Earlier in the year, we criticized them for beating up on lesser teams and coming up short against some of the NBA's elite. But, it appears as though they've stopped that trend. After besting the Heat a couple weeks ago, they got a huge W against the Thunder on Friday. And with a relatively soft schedule through the rest of the season, we wouldn't be surprised at all to see Indy end up as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. This team isn't just beating the NBA's elite now. They're making a push to be mentioned amongst them. —Chris Yuscavage

Record: 32 - 24
Last Week's Rank: 5
Last Week's Results: L vs. San Antonio 86-87, (Wed); L @ Chicago 86-93, (Thu); W @ Indiana 86-72, (Sat); W vs. Philadelphia 103-79, (Sun)
This Week: @ Miami, Tuesday (4/10); vs. Atlanta, Wednesday (4/11); @ Toronto, Friday (4/13); @ New Jersey, Saturday (4/14); @ Charlotte, Sunday (4/15)
Have we gone back in time to 2009? Boston has been reinvigorated as of late and have taken control of the Atlantic Division. They played four playoff teams last week and went 2-2. Ray Allen is returning to form and Mickael Pietrus should be back in time for the playoffs. The Celtics beat the Sixers down yesterday to stretch their division lead to three games. Let's see if their bench continues to over-achieve down the stretch and in the postseason. —Angel Diaz

Record: 34 - 22
Last Week's Rank: 8
Last Week's Results: W @ Dallas 94-75, (Mon); L vs. Lakers 108-113, (Wed); W @ Sacramento 93-85, (Thu); W vs. Sacramento 109-94, (Sat)
This Week: @ Memphis, Monday (4/9); @ Oklahoma City, Wednesday (4/11); @ Minnesota, Thursday (4/12); vs. Golden State, Saturday (4/14)
OK, so the Clippers didn't win their big matchup against the Lake Show this past week but they won their other three games. The Lob City Crew is now only a half game behind the Lakers and have won 8 of their last 10. The only controversy that came this week was DeMarcus Cousins calling Blake Griffin an actor the Clippers' victory over the Kings on Thursday. Griffin's response? “I mean this in the nicest way possible: You have to consider the source.” #ether —Ralph Warner

Record: 35 - 22
Last Week's Rank: 7
Last Week's Results: W vs. New Jersey 91-87, (Tue); W @ L.A. Clippers 113-108, (Wed); L vs. Houston 107-112, (Fri); L @ Phoenix 105-125, (Sat)
This Week: @ New Orleans, Monday (4/9); @ San Antonio, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Denver, Friday (4/13); vs. Dallas, Sunday (4/15)
This past week was mediocre at best for the Lake Show. Things were looking good on Wednesday as they won their pivotal matchup against the Clippers thanks in part to Kobe living up to his rep as The Closer. But then a loss to the Rockets and another to the Suns (Kobe sat out with a shin injury) put the Lakers only a half-game ahead of the Clippers in the Pacific Division. One major point of concern for the team is Andrew Bynum's attitude. After the whole shooting 3s drama and team sanctioned fine, the 7-footer got himself ejected from Thursday's game against the Rockets after arguing fouls and taunting the opposing bench. That kind of drama and lack of focus is what leads to early playoff exits. Bynum is having career-highs in stats like PPG (18.4) and RPG (11.9) but the 24-year-old's immaturity has sometimes overshadowed his play this season. Drama in L.A.? Really?! —Ralph Warner

Record: 41 - 15
Last Week's Rank: 1
Last Week's Results: L vs. Memphis 88-94, (Mon); L @ Miami 93-98, (Wed); L @ Indiana 98-103, (Fri); W vs. Toronto 91-75, (Sun)
This Week: @ Milwaukee, Monday (4/9); vs. LA Clippers, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Sacramento, Friday (4/13); @ Minnesota, Saturday (4/14)
Well, right after the Thunder hit their stride they tripped over their own feet, losing three straight games to Memphis, Miami and Indiana. And if that wasn't enough, LeBron James got the best of the head-to-head matchup between himself and Kevin Durant in the battle for MVP honors, and NBA pundits have already begun questioning how the Thunder will be able to retain both James Harden and Serge Ibaka. Win a title, and the rest wikk will work itself out. —Russ Bengtson

Record: 40 - 15
Last Week's Rank: 4
Last Week's Results: W vs. Philadelphia 99-93, (Tue); W vs. Oklahoma City 98-93, (Wed); L vs. Memphis 82-97, (Fri); W vs. Detroit 98-79, Sunday (4/8)
This Week: vs. Boston, Tuesday (4/10); @ Chicago, Thursday (4/12); vs. Charlotte, Friday (4/13); @ New York, Sunday (4/15)
LeBron James is in the zone right now and making a strong case for why he deserves to be the league MVP. Leading his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals, King James is catching fire at the right moment. With first place well within reach (they're just two games back), the Heat should continue to ride the wave of Bron Bron's strong play and eventually they should find themselves sitting atop the Eastern Conference. Sorry, Chicago. —Jose Martinez

Record: 43 - 14
Last Week's Rank: 2
Last Week's Results: L vs. Houston 93-99, (Mon); W vs. Boston 93-86, (Thurs); L @ New York 99-100, (Sun)
This Week: vs. New York, Tuesday (4/10); vs. Miami, Thursday (4/12); @ Detroit, Sunday (4/15)
Tough week for the Bulls. Although they finally (FINALLY!) got Derrick Rose back on Sunday afternoon, they fell apart at the end of the game against the Knicks and ended up losing in OT. They also blew a game early in the week against the Rockets. In the grand scheme of things, those two losses don't really hurt them, provided, of course, they can work D-Rose back into the lineup, get completely healthy for the playoffs, and start playing better basketball before the end of the season. We think they'll be just fine. —Chris Yuscavage

Record: 40 - 14
Last Week's Rank: 3
Last Week's Results: W @ Cleveland 125-90, (Tue); W @ Boston 87-86, (Wed); W vs. New Orleans 128-103, (Fri); W vs. Utah 114-104, (Sun)
This Week: @ Utah, Monday (4/9); vs. LA Lakers, Wednesday (4/11); vs. Memphis, Thursday (4/12); vs. Phoenix, Saturday (4/14)
It's taken awhile, but the Spurs are in a virtual tie with Oklahoma City atop the Western Conference. This upcoming week will be a battle for the Spurs who take on the playoff-ready Grizz and Lakers. With at least a two seed on lock, it's time to look in the playoff future, and a possible round one preview could happen as early as this week. San Antonio plays the Suns and Utah this week, two teams vying for the eight seed. —Sean Evans